Saint Joseph

The journey of St. Joseph Parish began in the town of Sharpsburg in 1841, where the first Mass was celebrated in a log cabin on Fifth Street. Opportunities for worship were few and far between at this little town. The few residents waited for traveling priests to wander through on their journeys. Because of this, Saint Joseph Parish was established in 1945.
The timeline of St. Joseph's began to unfold: (excerpt from St. Joseph Parish Family Album, 2012)

• 1843 the Dellenptoust priests from St. Philomena's Church make the Sharpsburg community a mission and celebrate masses once a month.
• 1845 Blessed Fr. Francis Seelos is installed as the first St. Joseph Pastor.
• 1847 the first chapel is dedicated on Christmas Day on land donated by James Sharp. The chapel measures 20 x 30 feet.
• 1849 a larger church is dedicated by Father Gribbs.
• 1869 Father Kearney erects a school building and a rectory. The Sisters of Mercy arrive to staff the school. 
• 1873-74 a larger church is built around the existing building to accommodate 200 families.
• 1876 Fr. George Singer Grace builds a convent to house the Sisters of Charity who take over the school duties.
• 1901 Fr. Bradley closes the school due to structural problems.
• 1904 Fr. Rosensteel builds a four story school with a fourth floor hall that accommodates 500 people. The Sisters of Charity return to staff the school.
• 1930 Fr. Denis Joseph Cox is appointed pastor.
• 1936 St. Patrick's Day flood causes enormous damage to parish property.
• 1948 St. Joseph School consolidates with Madonna School. The Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother take over the school duties.
• 1954 Fr. Gavin becomes pastor and renovates the rectory. Fr. Gavin resigns in 1955.
• 1956 Fr. Ray Lucas becomes pastor and renovates the church. Fr. Lucas falls ill and is replaced temporarily by the Capuchin Fathers.
• 1959 Fr. Joyce becomes the new pastor and renovates the school, rectory and the convent.
• 1960 Madonna of Jerusalem Church and rectory are destroyed by fire. Parishioners share facilities. Bishop Wright decides to move St. Joseph's to O'Hara Twp. Madonna takes over St. Joseph buildings in Sharpsburg. 
• August 7, 1960 Sharpshill Fire Hall becomes the temporary church for St. Joseph masses. 500 people attend masses the first weekend.
• September 5, 1960 small garage on parish property is converted to a temporary chapel.
• December 10, 1960 Fr. Joyce leads groundbreaking for the school building and temporary church.
• 1961 church purchases rectory at 330 Dorseyville Road.
• 1961 Parish School opens with the Ursuline Sisters staffing.
• October 31, 1961 Bishop Wright dedicates new Church. There are 499 families.
• 1963 Fr. Clifford Soisson replaces Fr. Joyce as pastor. Resigns after six months.
• 1964 Fr. Ray McColligan becomes pastor. Serves until 1969.
• 1969 Fr. Edwin Kaczmarek is named pastor but leaves in 1971 after an illness.
• 1971 Fr. McCarthy is named pastor but leaves quickly due to an illness.
• 1971 Fr. Charles Demblowski is named pastor. He serves during the changes of the Second Vatican Council. 
• 1983 Fr. Arthur Garbin is appointed as Parish Administrator. He oversees the closing of the school and transferring the students to St. Mary's in Glenshaw.
• 1984 Fr. Jack Price appointed pastor. Establishes a Financial Advisory Board to work on debt reduction. 558 families are registered in the parish. Begins plans to renovate the church. He is killed in a flash flood on May 30, 1986 not long after celebrating his 25th Jubilee of his priesthood.
• 1986 Fr. Walter Dworak is appointed pastor. Renovations are completed in the church. Picnic Pavilion is built on the church grounds. Playground equipment is erected.
• 1995 Sesquicentennial anniversary of the parish is celebrated with a new logo for St. Joseph's. Bishops Wuerl and Tobin celebrate this anniversary with a mass.
• 1997 the former St. Scholastica School is established as a regional school and renamed Christ the Divine Teacher Catholic Academy.
• 2000 Fr. James Bedillion replaces Fr. Walt as pastor of St. Joseph's. Pastoral Council replaces Parish Council. Exploratory Committee formed to build a new church.
• September 29, 2003 Fr. Thomas R. Miller is appointed pastor. Forms Building Committee. Hires Brenenborg Brown Group as architects.
• October 18, 2009 Dedication of the Church.

And so the story continues. As the Psalms first instructed us, "Teach us O Lord the shortness of life so that we may gain wisdom of the heart." Our time on earch and at St. Joseph's is so short. Our hope is that as our predecessors, we can make a difference for our souls and for the generations to come after us.

For further information on the history of St. Joseph's, see the following pages taken from the History of St. Joseph Parish, 1845-1995 (copyright 1996, St. Joseph Church)